F1 2022: Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

After two years, F1 racing in Asia is back with the Singapore Grand Prix as all eyes are on Max Verstappen's title hunt under city lights.

As the lights went out, the night racing action in Singapore is back. Verstappen's title hunt hits a snag when he was dropped to 12th place from 8th on the opening lap. Come Lap 4, Lewis Hamilton's experiencing grip problems on his car while Lap 7 saw Zhou Guanyu crash out of the race after a collision course with Nicolas Latifi, only to be out a lap later.

With the Safety Car gone on Lap 11, the action continues with Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc on the top, clashing at each other while Max Verstappen's struggling to fight back. On Lap 22, Fernando Alonso's historic 350th race ended in shambles when his car experiences engine failure, triggering a virtual safety car. Also, on Lap 26, Alex Albon crashed into the barriers and triggered the virtual safety car so he can rush to the pits for repairs. Sadly, it was too late and he was out of the race. With Alonso and Albon out while triggering the Virtual Safety Car, Esteban Ocon's the next victim to trigger the virtual safety car.

Moments after Hamilton's disaster on track, Yuki Tsunoda crashed out of the race on Lap 36, triggering the safety car. After a lengthy safety car deployment following a disaster-packed first half, the race resume and it's a disaster for Verstappen as the lock-up made him run wide but gets going again but has to pit for new tires. As the climax draws near, Perez and Leclerc are locked in for a no-holds-barred fight to the finished.

Screengrab from Formula 1

After a disaster-packed night race, Sergio Perez wins the Singapore Grand Prix, beating the two Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the process. Best of all, Perez wasn't penalized over his safety car drama. Other finishers include Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly.

Looks like Verstappen's title hunt will have to wait but the next race, the Honda Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka this October 8th, he's going to, so stick around.